It's Darkest Before The Sun Rises
by canibeyourotp
Summary: written for mhficweek13; a drabble for every possible Marble Hornets pairing, friendship or otherwise . rating may change .
1. Jay and Alex

**it's mhficweek from septemeber 28th - october 5th! to ensure once and for all that there is, at the very least, a drabble for each pairing in this fandom, i've decided to attempt this: a 45-chapter fic for every pairing in marble hornets. characters are:**

**jay**  
**tim**  
**alex**  
**brian**  
**sarah**  
**jessica**  
**amy**  
**hoody**  
**masky**  
**and the operator.**

**if i've missed any out, give me a shout! i should be uploading a few chapters per evening. oh, and good luck if you're writing for this, haha!**

* * *

He'd remembered the tapes earlier that week.

Before Alex, he'd sat in his room all day, tweaking audio, brushing out unwanted images from footage, breaking every so often t get snacks. There was something comforting in editing pictures - it gave him great satisfaction to take out and put in whatever he wanted to. Or whatever he was told, as it was more likely to be, given that he usually did this for other people over the internet. In fact, it was almost relaxing to listen to music and smooth down the peaks. Jay would flinch whenever the sound effects were too loud, put in footsteps, spend hours and hours pouring over half a second of film to get it just right.

And although he loved it, it was lonely. So very lonely.

He'd forgotten about classes starting, and meeting bright eyed guys who loved what he did, the times when he'd closed his laptop to go out with friends. He'd forgotten about becoming fast friends with Alex, and going out for drinks, and _staying in for drinks_, and getting his ass handed to him in some video game.

He'd forgotten about the time when Alex gave him an alcohol-fueled victory kiss, and how they'd both dropped their controllers in shock, and how Alex's glasses had fallen down his nose a little bit.

He'd forgotten about how Alex had frowned, looking upset, then picked up his bag and told him to _"just forget about it"_.

And he'd stumbled out of Jay's front room in a less-than-straight line, slamming the door behind him.

Jay had gone back to days of editing, not remembering to eat. Days of living off ramen and dried fruit snacks. Days of no-one else around, except for when he had to go to class.

Until the little spark of memory ignited at the back of his mind, during one of those days.

_Just forget about it._

He tore through the packing tape, and picked up one of the cassettes.


	2. Tim and Brian

He raps on the door with his free hand impatiently, an armful of game cases stacked under the other.

"Tim?"

Brian waits, then tries the door. It's open.

"Okay..." he mutters. It's not the first time he's come over to find the front door unlocked, and Tim sleeping on the couch - he always has such dark rings around his eyes. Brian can roll with it.

To his horror, he walks into a world of mess - papers swept off of the table; a mug, smashed into pieces on the linoleum, blood on some of the shards. There is a startling trail of debris leading all across the front room and kitchen, right into the bedroom. In fact, Brian's half tempted to back out of the room and call the cops. _No no no no not good_, his brain is yelling, but then another part of that goes _oh, shit, **Tim**_, and he throws the cases to the couch, clumsily sprinting through the trail of notes and bookshelf contents. He can hear distant, muffled sobbing.

Brian bursts into the bedroom, frantically searching for the source of the noise, expecting to see a burglar or an axe murderer or something.

But all he sees is Tim, clutching his knees in the corner. His face, previously obscured by hands and sleeves, has shot its gaze towards the door, and is streaked with smudged tear trails. In a position as awkward at the one he seems to be in, it makes it look like he'd been attacked, somehow.

"What the hell happened here?!" Brian asks.

Tim tries to stand up: "nothing," he gets out, before falling into a coughing fit and the headboard.

Rushing over to help him sit on the bed, Brian kneels down in front of him. His first aid training as an instructor is bleeding into the situation, and he looks up with concern at his best friend. "Nothing, my ass," he states firmly. "Your entire place looks like it's been tipped upside-down!"

Tim wipes his face, and says nothing.

"Wanna explain? Need me to get anything?" Brian presses. "Aspirin? Bandage for your elbow there? The cops?"

"No," Tim croaks, "I was trying to find my medication, but-"

"You're on medication?"

He didn't mean to sound so surprised; Tim mimics his tone, but in expression instead. "Are you serious?" he asks, eyes widened. "I'm the most messed up person you know, how would I not be on medication?"

"I... I don't know." Brian shrugs. "I guess I never really thought about it."

"It's kind of a... big deal. Sorry I never told you..."

Tim looks ready to accept his fate, and remain curled up on the bed whilst Brian bolts for the door. That's not happening. No way. "Listen," Brian says. "It isn't important. I mean, it's important that you take it, obviously, but I'm not gonna care that you_ have_ to. It's not something to be ashamed of, Tim, that you're taking responsibility for your health, am I right?"

Offering up a smile, Brian stands; his ankles twinge from his crouching position, but he brushes it off. "C'mon. I'll even help you clean up."

It's the closest he's going to get to a smile from Tim, but that's nothing unusual. Tim stands up shakily - Brian slips an arm around his waist to stop him from toppling over - and they head towards the kitchen. "Your arm is bleeding all over the place, gross! Have you got medication in the kitchen? I brought those games, too."

A hacking cough precedes his friend's reply. "Oh, right...?"

"Yeah, yeah. But this doesn't excuse you from snack duty."

Brian tightens his hold around Tim's torso, and Tim latches onto his arm, face contorted with pain. A full explanation can wait.

For now, he's going to be a distraction.


	3. Jessica and Amy

**a one-sided ficlet for marissa - she requested this a while ago, whoops. long live the mh ladies!**

* * *

Jessica is an observant girl.

That was what had gotten her into that archaeology course in the first place. She was very good at picking up intricate details and giveaway clues, whether that was in the origin of brickwork or the chips in pottery.

She'd looked for the most interesting people on the first day on campus. She'd found the best place to live, with the lowest price for the best criteria, and she'd found her best friend and roommate within a few days of that. Amy was amazing, and the kind of person that she wanted to be amazing in return for.

Jessica knew how objects and people worked, and telltale signs, and she could exploit and ignore those facts how she wished.

Except in one way.

They had walked downtown today, to grab coffee from the Starbucks that was always eerily empty, and drank it as they meandered through the streets. Neither had known where they were going. They'd just walked, happy to be out in the open instead of cooped up in their rooms. They'd walked into a little old second-hand shop, dusty and cluttered, and Jessica had dismissed the other girl's vase as "not 1920's at all! Nasty 70's replica piece, Amy, leave it alone".

They'd laughed, and exited the store, and Jessica had noticed gleaming eyes and a bright smile as Amy had grabbed her hands. They were about to do something stupid: "let's go to the park, Jess!"

Ah, there it was. The two of them were soon entering the park down the road - empty again, just like the Starbucks. No-one seemed to be around today. Jessica cringed as the gate squealed, a reaction to unwelcome pressure; Amy opted instead to climb over the railings.

"You're such a child," Jess told her. Amy agreed, bounding towards the swings.

They sat there for what seemed like hours, sipping their coffee; no-one was around to see Amy throw her cup away, and stand on the seat. She swung to and fro, laughing as the wind weaved its way through her hair, pushing her feet towards the sky, and no-one would be around to interrupt, if Jessica were to tell Amy that she was in love with her right now. If she were to say that she didn't mean to be so close. If she were to offer the promise of always being roommates, always picking the room, always finding whatever she could find that would be the best for her best friend.

But Jessica is an observant girl, and sometimes she wishes she wasn't. Because she can see that Amy will never love her back.

Not in the way that Jess loves her.


	4. Alex and Brian

"Who's gonna be my love interest?" Brian asks casually. It seems like an offhand comment, but... it's really not.

Alex sighs, and lowers the proof-reading he's in the middle of. "Have you not read the script yet?" he says, raising an eyebrow in enquiry. Brian looks a bit sheepish, squirming in his seat. Good.

"Well, I've read most of it. Like, at least half," he mumbles. Despite his embarrassment, a smile is playing on his face. "I know the character's gonna be called Sarah. Is she actually Sarah, or...?"

"I haven't decided yet. Probably."

Brian excuses himself to fetch himself a glass of water. There's something else, an underlying question beneath the one's he's asking right now, but for some reason, he's holding back on the true purpose of this dumb interrogation. He can hear his friend in the kitchen, rinsing out the glass he just used. _Interrogation_... it almost makes him laugh. Alex reclines over the full three seats of the sofa, running two of his fingers down the frame of that awful painting of the forest, and waits.

He doesn't have to wait long.

"So, uh," Brian starts, returning from the kitchen. Alex pretends to be very interested in his proof-reading again.

"What?"

"DoIhavetokissher?"

Alex sits up, swinging his feet to the floor. "_What_?"

It might be his imagination, but Brian looks like he's going red. "Do I have to kiss her?" he enunciates, slowly and clearly.

This time, Alex does laugh. In fact, he laughs a lot, and Brian looks more uncomfortable by the minute. "C'mon," he says, "Alex, seriously, c'mon, don't be a dick... I just want to know! It's not funny, it's..."

"Hilarious," Alex chokes out, pretending to wipe his eyes.

"You won't be laughing when I'm on top of you."

But Alex just laughs harder, because moody Brin is even funnier. He can _feel_ his eyebrows shooting for the sky in disbelief. "Oh, really-?"

And it turns out that Brian is right. Alex has stopped laughing. Brian is sitting on his chest. "Yes, really," he scowls, but there's no anger there, not really. Not even in the way that he presses his lips to Alex's, and traces his tongue over the curve of Alex's bottom lip, until he laughs again and opens his mouth. There's certainly no anger in the way that he sinks Alex into the couch cushions, running hands up his shoulders, along his neck.

But there is a _teensy_ bit of annoyance when Alex smirks and mutters "I'm gonna make you kiss 'er," into Brian's mouth.


	5. Sarah and Seth

Sarah is lucky, in that most of her scenes were done as a priority. She wasn't in the same classes as most of the cast, and it would have been a huge inconvenience to pull her in for shooting in segments. So she's only being brought in for reshoots, now. Apparently.

Unfortunately, Seth is still stuck filming. And he won't stop, because he's a stubborn idiot who reiterates to Sarah that he promised he'd help, and he doesn't want to break that promise, and is he _twelve?_ Seriously?

Alex has been acting like everyone's existence has personally offended both him and every family member that came before him. Sarah doesn't like putting up with his shit, but Seth's sticking through it... so she just figures she'll keep her mouth shut about it, in the hopes of it all blowing over.

It doesn't all blow over. It blows _up_.

And that's how Sarah found herself getting up to answer her front door one afternoon, and having Seth brush by her, swamped with tears. "What the _hell_? Seth? What's the matter?" she asks, shocked.

He's breathing irregularly, heaving oxygen into his lungs. There's no rhythm to the way his shoulders are shaking, and every word sounds like it hurts him: "A- lex- told- me-" he chokes, "told- me- I- was... wasn't-"

"I'm gonna kill him," Sarah says through gritted teeth. _I'm gonna kill him._ She bundles him into her arms, rubbing circles into tense shoulder blades, running fingers through his hair, wondering how tired out he's going to be, once he's finished miserably choking into her t-shirt.

Sarah runs cool fingertips up Seth's scalding jawline, and looks him in the eye. "I can't start to help you," she murmurs, "until you can tell me what's going on. You're in a right state, Seth, and you don't deserve to be."

She puts one of her hands over his chest. It's practically radiating heat. His heart tries to escape his ribcage; a toddler with a drum set.

"Sarah," he whispers, breath hitching miserably. She could say yes - press him for more information, try to calm him down more, deflect his dissuasions when she details Alex's swift execution - but she kisses him instead, short and sweet.

"I've got you," she says, and it's completely true.

Alex _will_ be horribly punished for this by her hand, and that is a promise, because Seth is not going to come to her place in this condition and have to accept that no-one cares.

Sarah cares.

God, she cares so much.


	6. Amy and Hoody

**here come some considerably shorter ones. some of these pairings are really hard!**

**reviews are awesome, if you're up for it. cheers. ^_^**

* * *

She wakes up with a pounding head. Limbs are sore from running, her throat is sore from screaming, and her heart is sore from loss.

Oh, god, her head. It was as though her brain had been rifled through - cut open, sliced like parcel tape, to take... what?

She doesn't remember. And when she tries to remember, whatever 'it' is... Well, it fails to make an appearance, that's for sure. Perhaps she should be angry at the fact that something's been taken from her, something important, but she can't even bring herself to _move_ at this moment, and her back aches from lying on the floor for so long.

Amy turns over, and grimaces from the pain that shoots up her spine.

The only thing she _does_ remember is the feeling of spongy fibre. Material, that held her head to make her focus, and curled around her arms to show her the way.

She hopes it was Alex.


	7. Seth and Hoody

Seth's freezing cold. He's leaning up against a concrete wall - it's dark, even when he opens his eyes, and he can hear dripping water in the distance. Metallic noises - contracting steel, brittle piping and gauges - filter through the haze from all angles. It's a haze he can't bring himself out of.

He's not sure he wants to, actually. Escaping it might alert him to harm he didn't know he'd sustained, or make him remember what had happened to bring him down to this basement.

He brings a numb hand to his front of his head. A dull throbbing, and a thick line of wet, tells him that he's taken a hit at some point.

_And it's so cold_. It's really cold, from what he can tell. Which isn't really a whole lot, because he can't even feel his feet that much. Seth tries to move his legs - maybe just stretch them out a little bit - but it doesn't really work very well.

It's easier to swim in and out of consciousness until he can think straight, it seems.

When Seth wakes up, he feels warmer.

Perhaps it's the light streaming through the cracks of the room... Wherever this room happens to be. Maybe it's because he can hear the rustling of leaves, instead of the crinkling of metal as it folds in on itself. Maybe he's just about to die - he remembers, vaguely, reading about freezing to death. How you feel warmer just before you die. Your brain fools itself into thinking about heat... One last mind trick. Seth wouldn't mind that at all.

...But it could be the hoodie that he's tucked into. Just maybe.

* * *

**hoody and the 2006!cast are hard to write as pairings... hmm.**

**reviews are love~!**


	8. Jay and Amy

He really should not be doing this.

Like, _really_ shouldn't be.

Jay's done a lot of dumb stuff in his lifetime. The time when he broke his arm trying to find eggs in birds' nests? Dumb. The time when he got a poptart stuck in the toaster and decided to get it out with a fork? Dumb. The time when he mixed a cup of coffee with three cans of Red Bull so that he could get a report done? Dumb.

Oh, wow, that one was _really_ dumb.

But the most stupid, senseless thing that he's ever done in his life is right here, right now, and _holy hell_, is it Dumb.

Because he's kissing Alex's girlfriend, and he's wishing she was his.

Alex's lips have been on her lips before, and Alex's heart is held in her hands, yet somehow Jay has the power to crush it. He's filled to the brim with confusion; it's slopping over the sides, staining him with terror. His inner conflict is an ocean. It's washing him out with the tide. He can hear the capital letter, engulfing him in waves, resonating throughout his brain-

And yet he still - _still_- opens his mouth to let her in.

Stupid.

Senseless.

_Dumb._


	9. Tim and the Operator

"How's the little one from over the hall?"

"Oh, same old, same old. I can't get hold of him mother, though, and we need her permission to administer that new medication. It's such a pain when people don't pick up the phone, don't you think?"

"Yeah... Poor boy."

"He's talking about his dad again, too."

"Oh, really? How long's it been?"

"It's been a while, sure... Never even mentions him in anything official. Never has done. The doctor's tried to bring it up, but the only thing we get is when we overhear him talking to himself."

"He _is_ kinda loud, isn't he..."

"Crying, screaming, the works. Ever since he first came in, he's done that, though."

"What was he saying this time?"

"He sounded upset... Kept asking why he didn't love him."

"Oh, poor kid. Oh, that's sad."

"Never says 'daddy', or 'dad' either."

"Well, what does he say then? How do you know if he's even talking about his dad?"

"It's always 'the tall man', that's how we know. It's just a guess, but who else could it be? He _always_ replaces 'dad' with 'the tall man'... Weird, am I right?"


	10. Alex and Jessica

"Won't your girlfriend be really mad with you? I don't want to mess stuff up for you..."

Alex thinks long and hard about this. Amy is pretty, yes; she is also clingy. Every time that Alex exits class, she's waiting for him, hovering around the doorframe like a moth out in the corridor.

He hates being the lamp.

Swatting her away would be too simple. He doesn't want to spare her the ease of that heartbreak - he could at least make it fun.

So he lets her take off his glasses, leans in (still smiling), and says:

"I like you better."

He was expecting her to practically _melt_. But she doesn't.

Jessica is more concrete than Amy ever could be.


	11. Tim and Sarah

_"So... what's your story?"_

_"Oh, nothin' special."_

It's got to be a lie. There has to be a story behind the way he backs down from eye contact, yet flares up at the slightest miscalculated move; there's got to be a story behind the loud shirts that make up for his nearly non-existent personality. He doesn't make sense. Sarah wishes that he made sense, because she doesn't understand, and she was never even that good at doing maths so why was she expecting to be good at solving people? Asking is always easier.

Except when the person you're asking is clearly lying.

She wonders where Tim grew up. Maybe it was close to where Brian did, seeing as they knew each other pretty well. She wonders where he got those jeans, and his smoking habit, and that look in his eyes that screams "back off".

He says he's never acted before, and that he's only here because Brian asked him for help. She thinks he's doing a good job at it, so far.

If she were to lean close to him, or slip her hand into his, would his chest do the same acrobatics hers does? Would he pull away, uninterested, maybe even angry at her? She wouldn't be surprised. She's not worked him out enough in her head, not enough to be able to paint a picture of the reactions he could let fly with. She still needs his story, but she can wait.

Sarah knows he's lying, even if Tim doesn't.


	12. Seth and Alex

The first time they dance, Seth knows he's in too deep.

It's a gentle kind of swaying - not really dancing at all, if he's honest - but it feels like they have music, and it feels like they could do this for the rest of the day. He wouldn't mind if they were still there in the evening, after the afternoon had fizzled out and the moon had risen in its place. They're a constant; the time of day is not.

In the overgrown area behind Alex's place, they hold onto each other. Alex's arms are loosely looped around his neck, and Seth's arms rest comfortably around Alex's hips, and he's never been so quietly happy in his entire life. He wonders if he's radiating it. Emanating so much elation that it keeps everything bad that could ever be after him safely at bay. It doesn't seem impossible.

He's in too deep. He can't back out of this, not now that Alex is so close. It feels like the most sensible thing he can do in this moment is to look up and bring their lips together, so that's exactly what he does.

He can't help but smile into it. Which, in turn, makes Alex laugh. And soon enough, he's being led back inside, out of the glare of the sun and the long grass, out of the still heat of the afternoon, and into the water.

He's in too deep. Seth couldn't care less if he tried.

* * *

**I've been waiting to do this one. Clearly I couldn't wait long enough...**

**Reviews are love! x**


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